Leaders We Deserve – February 11, 2026

Some moments deserve more than a headline. This is one of them:

Pioneering civil rights lawyer, DC statehood advocate, and longtime delegate for Washington in the US House, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, is retiring.

First and foremost, I want to say one thing:

Thank you, Congresswoman Norton.

Thank you for being a relentless champion, fighting year after year for DC statehood when powerful people told you it was inconvenient or impossible.

Thank you for that unforgettable moment on the House floor — when you refused to yield, when you demanded to be heard, when you made it clear that democracy doesn’t stop at the city limits of the capital. That moment mattered. It still does.

I am thankful for the fighting spirit that Eleanor Holmes Norton always brought to Congress. And I’m grateful she’s letting a new generation rise to carry it forward.

This retirement isn’t happening in a vacuum, either.

• Nancy Pelosi said she’s retiring after more than 40 years in Congress.
• Steny Hoyer, the longest-serving House Democrat in history, did the same.
• Dick Durbin, one of the most senior Dems in the Senate, is also retiring.

These major pillars of Democratic leadership are stepping back for new leaders to step up and take the reins — and that’s incredibly important for our nation’s future.

Will you help us grow the momentum for electing young progressive leaders? Make a $25 contribution right now to power our game-changing work.

Older Democrats are sending an important signal to a new generation of leaders. But young people don’t automatically get to lead just because the door opens.

Young candidates need a real foundation of support so they can walk through those doors and become the leaders we need fighting back in the halls of power.

That’s why we built Leaders We Deserve.

We exist to recruit, train, and elect young, bold, progressive leaders who are ready to fight for their communities with the same moral clarity Eleanor Holmes Norton brought to the House floor — and with the real urgency this moment demands.

The Democratic Party can renew itself. But only if we choose to invest in its future.

If you want to help us elect a new generation of bold progressives who will continue and expand the fights our older leaders started, pitch in $25 now.

Thank you for your support.

— David Hogg

To give by check: Leaders We Deserve 611 Pennsylvania Ave SE #192 Washington, DC 20003 Email us: info@leaderswedeserve.com